Are there drivers for The Imaging Source USB-3 Cameras?

The Scorpion Firegrab.dll camera driver supports The Imaging Source USB cameras.

The Scorpion Vision  Installer  10.2.1.578 provides the latest drivers for Imaging Source USB drivers

The Scorpion Vision Installer provides drivers for The Imaging Source cameras

Read more on The Imaging Source

More on Scorpion Camera drivers and camera support  in the Scorpion Online Help

Can I connect an AVT GigE camera to Scorpion Vision?

Yes – please follow this procedure:

1. Read the description of the camera driver
   • http://scorpion.tordivel.no/help/Camera%20Support/2D%20Area%20Scan/Prosilica/Default.htm
2. Change Scorpion camera driver to PvGrab.dll
3. Download the AVT PvApi driver from AVT
   • http://www.alliedvisiontec.com/us/products/software/windows/avt-pvapi-sdk.html
4. Configure your network card correctly

Good luck !

 

Do we support IP-Cameras and GigE Cameras?

Yes we do 🙂

The latest additions are implemented through the DirectShow driver firegrab.dll

• More about Scorpion Camera Drivers

The DirectShow driver supports basically all firewire cameras and usb cameras with a vdm-driver. Many ip-cameras and gige cameras can also be supported using the same Scorpion Camera Driver – firegrab.dll

The latest firegrab.dll versions 3.0.0.43 and 3.0.0.44 is updated to support:

• All Imaging Source cameras including GigE cameras through their WDM-driver
• All IP-Cameras supported by Azcendant IP-Camera filter
• Active GigE WDM-driver from A&B Software

Release notes and actual FireGrab.dll Scorpion Camera Driver.

3.0.0.44 – 27jun2012, min Scorpion Vision Software version: 7.x.x.x – DirectX 7.0

• improved driver initialization
  • Tested with Imaging Source WDM-driver
  • Tested with ActiveGige driver with PixelLink GigE
  • some GigE cameras caused application lock

3.0.0.43 – 07jun2012, min Scorpion Vision Software version: 7.x.x.x – DirectX 7.0

• added configurable timeout on camera opening (configurable in inifile)
  • suited for IP camera drivers

Why and when continous triggering?

The continuous triggering in Scorpion was designed to make it possible to captures 10 – 200 images/second. The initial and simple image aquisition model defined by this pattern:

1. Issue the Grab command
2. Wait for all ImageComplete events
3. Issue the Inspect to process the aquired images
4. Use the AfterInspection event to do IO
5. Goto 1 or Stop the inspection cycle

Read the details explanation about the event-driven model in Scorpion – http://scorpion.tordivel.no/help/UsersGuide/Service/Actions/Default.htm

The simple model has a drawback when the camera is free-running or the system is hardware triggered if you want to run fast. The Grab command takes time and can be eliminated. This changes the basic models from:

1. Issue the Grab command
2. Wait for all ImageComplete events
3. Goto 1

to the continous model

1. Wait for all ImageComplete events
2. Goto 1

The difference is the Grab command is implicit and not explicit in the continous model. The continous model is supported by most Scorpion Camera Drivers.

The implicit Grab command saves milliseconds which is important when running fast 20-100 images / second with a cycle time of 10 – 50 ms. It is more important the faster it goes.

The drawback with the continuous model is that Scorpion Vision might the pushed to hard – too many images might flow into the system and what we call “cpu-starvation” might occur. This may happen if images are pushed to hard into Scorpion or maybe the is noise on the hardware trigger input.

Important Rule of thumb:  The basic image capture model is the best if you do not need the speed of the continuous model.

Delay Scorpion Startup

A new feature in Scorpion 8.3.0.471 is the possibility to delay the startup of Scorpion from the command line.

Read more: GettingStarted/ShortcutStartup.htm

This will in some cases remove the need of Scorpion Watchdog or Resuscitator. A use case is to delay the Scorpion loading so that the GigE network is working and available. Can be critical when working with GigE cameras.

How to select lens for an area scan camera?

Use the excellent lens calculator at Scorpion Support Web.

The calculator support lens design from 1/4″ to 1″.

Scorpion Lens Calculator

Why does Scorpion hang on Image Aquisition Loading?

There reason for this is normally an issue with Direct Show driver installation. This is reported from time to time.

The solution is to change the general.ini from
[Camera]
GrabDLL=firegrab.dll

to

[Camera]
GrabDLL=

The profile can be uploaded to get a directshow free profile GrabNoDll.zip

Where can I locate Scorpion Camera Drivers?

Everything is located in the Scorpion Online Help – section cameras.

How many cameras can you connect to Scorpion?

Up 48 cameras can be connected to a single Scorpion Vision instance. This is a software limitation. In the real world we have seen that Scorpion works well with two and three Logitech usb WebCameras or twelve Unibrain fire-i camera or 24 GigE cameras. These cameras can be software triggered or hardware triggered.

DirectShow and Firewire

With DirectShow and firewire you have to limit the bandwidth used. In a hardware triggered images are only transmitted when triggered.  Using hardware trigger Scorpion can easily handle six or twelve Sony sx-90 cameras.

Increasing image bandwidth for firewire and gigE

Adding firewire card or additional gige network adapter cards – NICs will increase the number of cameras that can be connected to one PC.

Scorpion 8 can mix Cameralink, Firewire, USB and GigE cameras in a single system

The multicamera feature of Scorpion allows you to mix area and linescan cameras from different vendors in a single system.

What are the advantages of a digital firewire camera?

There are a number of advantages with digital firewire cameras; they connect easily to a laptop, it?s simple to work with multiple cameras and they?re easy to change or upgrade if you need to improve the resolution/quality. Other benefits are:

• Standard interface to a PC – OHCI – no complicated framegrabber
• Digital error free transmission of images – can be very important in industrial environment, camera mounted on robot
• Large number of cameras available with prices starting at 75 USD for VGA -camera
• High Resolution Digital Cameras has a lower cost than the analog alternativesIn the following area analog camera might have advantages:
• Cable Length – practical cable length with digital cameras are limited to 10 meters without repeater and to 20 meter with one repeater
• Cost – An industrial low resolution analog camera is very inexpensive – This will probably soon change due to the increasing number of digital cameras available.